Located on the southern coast of Australia, where it’s the capital of the region of Victoria, Melbourne is a beautiful and adventurous city to visit. It’s known to those who have traveled there for a great many things, but the all-encompassing way to put it is that it’s simply a very fun city. It’s not all about sights or museums, pub-hopping or a national park – it’s simply a multi-faceted destination in one of the most fascinating places on Earth.

Still, it helps to have some specific motivation to go to a place, so here are a few particular reasons why you might want to visit Melbourne one day.

The Coffee Is World Class

Coffee might not seem like the most logical place to start, but this isn’t just any coffee. Back in 2014, Melbourne was actually voted the world’s best place for coffee, beating out more traditional hot spots like Rome and Vienna, not to mention some popular production places such as Colombia. As you might imagine, coffee that good isn’t just tucked away in a few little shops. Rather, it’s spawned a lovely café culture that exists throughout the city, such that one of the most charmed experiences you can have is simply finding a cheerful, trendy venue and sitting down for a hot mug.

Their beaches are some of the most beautiful in the world, with golden sand and sapphire seas just moments from the cultural centers of their cities. They all happen to be populate by hottest people on Earth too. It’s perfect: you just have to avoid a jellyfish here and there.
But as with most things in this world, the way to make those sandy paradises even better is to make it gay. So while it’s summer in the southern hemisphere, strip down and check out all the clothing-optional and gay beaches in Australia.

North Bondi Beach

You have to stress the north in this Australia gay beach because the further you travel in that direction, the gayer it gets. While Bondi Beach proper is for families, head to the right section and you’ll find other gay people, many of whom choose to sunbathe naked. This is probably the most famous beach, so it’s going to be busy.

Drinking is prohibited on the beach annoyingly, but there are plenty of bars on the strip running alongside it. Just make sure you put some clothes on.

You know how in video games; the main character is always on the go with nothing but the supplies he can carry on his back? Backpacking lets you live as a video game character as you set forth on the great adventure of discovering the world and meeting new faces along the way.

See the world like never before

Backpacking is you as the main character of an RPG, taking on side quests, conquering monsters, and saving the world. Well, the quests are menial jobs to support yourself as you go, and the monsters are your fears and the saving the world bit might be a stretch, but you get the point.

Travelling the world, the way these backpackers do, immerses you in a full mix of culture and challenges, wherein you come out a brand-new person. And with its vast open spaces, heritage, and abundance of kangaroos, Australia is a place like no other. In fact, you might fall in love with the city and stay there forever.

For a small continent, it has enough places for you to stay for more than a year.

Bluff Creek is a simple campground in the beautiful Mary Valley on the Sunshine Coast. The 100 acres of camping offer guests the opportunity to explore the natural beauty of the Mary River, walk through bushland that is home to koalas, kangaroos and many other native animals.

Wild costumes, oversized floats, film festivals and fabulous live performances – it draws a reported 500,000 spectators a year, everyone in the world knows about Sydney’s annual dusk till dawn Mardi Gras party.

Though Sydney might have earned the moniker “gayest city on earth” with its festivities, for the discerning LGBT Aussie it’s certainly not the only live attraction around. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of the biggest and best festivals and gatherings to keep you occupied for the whole year.

Started in Melbourne in 1989, this 3 week queer extravaganza looks to celebrate everything LGBT and more. It brings 120,000 people together every year just for its enormous opening day carnival. Consisting of hours of free music, entertainment and hundreds of stalls with plenty of food, fun, dancing and drinks – and that’s just the first day!

Across the rest of three weeks you can expect to enjoy such events as the Australia Day Picnic at Forest Glade Gardens, a 50,000 strong Pride March and an LGBTIQ sports day with 17 groups competing in a variety of sports. With 150 events in total there’s something for everyone from art lovers to families.

This is one for the movie buffs, turning 18 this year the Brisbane Queer Film Festival has long promoted queer cinema from Australia and around the world. Recognized alongside other international queer-centric festivals in Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, the festival runs from March 10-18th every year. The stated intent of the festival is to showcase a diverse screening of inclusive films that really reflect the modern LGBTIQ experience.

Alice Springs’ Pride Carnival

The celebrations aren’t just confined to major cities anymore. Relatively new to the LGBTIQ festival scene, the carnival seeks to promote sexual diversity across all the different cultures of Australia. Special focus is given to Brotherboys and Sistergirls trans communities of Aboriginals and Torres Strait Islanders that have existed long before European settlers came to Australia.

The weekend long September festival includes art exhibitions, a fair day, travelling performers, a dog show and stalls amongst many other attractions. So if you’re in the Northern Territories, now is the perfect time to check it out.

Feast Festival

On the books since 1997 Adelaide’s premier event for LGBIT causes, Feast Festival is a worthy entry on our list. Remarkably, it is counted as the third biggest queer festival in the country. The extravaganza was headlined last year by pop idol Danii Minogue and takes place over 2 weeks, centred on the Raj House in Adelaide’s East End. The festival is very arts-centric with theatre and fringe performances occurring throughout, alongside dances and the obligatory bombastic carnival. The festival also plays host to important forums for discussion of queer issues and culture, for the heady types amongst you.

Party On

While these are some of the bigger festivals that have drawn our interest, they’re far from the only game in town. Pride events in Perth and the Chillout Festival in Victoria are just a few more that escaped the attentions of this list; however you can keep up with all the latest gay festival news on sites like emen8.com.au amongst others.

Whatever kind of festivity suits your style it’s clear that Australia has a variety of parties and events for every taste. So pack your bags, body glitter and costumes because this year is going to be a real celebration.

Periodically we’ll feature one of our properties here to let our readers know about some great gay friendly places to stay:

Tucked away by Queenslands picturesque Glasshouse Mountains our stylish and contemporary hideaway feature floor to ceiling glass windows for spectacular views of the Sunshine Cost Hinterland so guests can experience nature up close, even when indoors.

Our sleek pavilions offer understated luxury and a sense of seclusion, while just being 6 kilometres from the nearest town. But with a dramatic freestanding bath at your disposal as well as a double sided fireplace, luxurious king size bedroom, breathtaking views of native wildlife, not to mention a delectable breakfast basket each morning, we doubt you will want to venture anywhere else except maybe out for dinner to a country pub if you are not in the mood for using the BBQ on the deck.

Should you choose too however to venture out there are many amazing walks and hikes not too far away.

Venture a little further to the beautiful Rainforest Towns of Maleny & Montville or go and explore the famous Australia Zoo.

Or if you don’t really want to leave your sanctuary we have an onsite cafe where you can just relax and enjoy the views over our Mango Orchard and watch the kangaroos.

Gay Sydney is alive and ready for you to visit. Sydney is the gay capital of the Southern Hemisphere. The city, and Australia as a whole, is considered one of the gay-friendliest places in the world. With the exception of marriage, LGBTI couples can cherish the same rights and benefits as their straight counterparts.

If that wasn’t enough, the weather is almost perfect all year round. During winter the temperature hardly falls below 10˚C. Even so, the highs are still around 20˚C. It’s no wonder then that Sydney is a prime destination for beach lovers–and for the lovers of men with their shirts off.

Here’s our handy-dandy little guide to get you started on your gay travels down under Get ready for gay Sydney!

When to Go

The high season for tourists are the summer months which are from the beginning of December to the end of February. If you’re an LGBTI tourist then the quintessential time to visit would be during the Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras festival, which takes place at the end of February. This renowned festival is chock-full of exhibitions, music, theatre, community events, and of course massive parties. The theme for 2017 is Creating Equality. In 2017, Mardi Gras will celebrate how far the LGBTI community has come and highlight the areas in which we’re still not treating equally. If you truly want to experience gay Sydney then you cannot miss Mardi Gras!

Lynn MacLaren and Sarah Holt-Foreman were spending a September evening at a streetside wine bar in Fremantle, Western Australia. The sun was setting, they had a glass each, it was the weekend.
And then Holt-Foreman pulled a little model elephant out from nowhere, with two rings perched on its tiny trunk.

“As a child I collected elephants,” MacLaren explained to BuzzFeed News. “It was a joke between my brother and I. I was a little bit heavier than he was, and I just owned it, and had this elephant collection.”

The one Holt-Foreman presented was from Bali, where she had also bought the rings some time earlier.

Sydney’s waterfront offers beautiful scenery and a classically romantic setting to enjoy quality time with your loved one. It’s not a surprise then to find a number of romantic restaurants with good quality food on the beachside. If you are planning for a lovely date night, you should check out the below selection of Sydney’s best waterfront restaurants.

The Boathouse

1 Marine Parade, Manly

The Boathouse is located on Shelly Beach and it offers a lovely, affordable restaurant experience with stunning scenery. The little spot is perfect for a late lunch or a romantic Sunday brunch and you could even just grab something on the go from the Kiosk. If you truly fall in love with the restaurant, you’ll be excited to hear they also provide catering for weddings and other events.

Pizzaperta

The Star Sydney, Harbourside Entry, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont

Italian food is among the best date night options you can pick. A slice of tasty pizza, a glass of a wine and the calm sea in front of you is definitely an experience you want to share with a special person. The casual setting is great for first dates or for those sudden decisions to do something fun together. The infused cocktails are definitely worth checking out as well!